Madness in the Forest
by steffiechan
Summary: I can't tell you much, or it will give it away. Let's just say that Aragorn and Legolas are about to encounter something they haven't before. NOT a Mary Sue.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of LOTR. They belong to Tolkien (god rest his soul). The only characters I own are the ones of my own design. If you sue me, I won't be able to pay my college tuition, rent, car insurance, or for food for my kitty. You don't want to starve my poor kitty, do you?  
  
I suppose a few notes on myself are in order. This is not my first fic, though it's my first LOTR fanfic. I wrote a few Gundam Wing and DBZ fics a loooong time ago under the incredibly imaginative moniker of "me". FF.net has most likely wiped them all since they were all NC-17. Oh well. This fic should probably be rated as such, but for much different reasons. When not writing about the more mundane things such as life and living under weird circumstances, or things of a more adult nature, I tend to write horrible, graphic violence. It's scary. The noise in my head that I call ideas tend to be very gruesome. Hence the following warning. This takes place after the Battle of Helm's Deep. I don't know yet if it matters if it's movie or book universe, so please bear with me.  
  
WARNING: GRAPHIC VIOLENCE WILL ENSUE. IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18, PLEASE GO ELSEWHERE. I DON'T WANT FLAMES FROM ENRAGED PARENTS. IF YOU ARE EASILY SICKENED, I ASK YOU TO PLEASE SPARE YOUR STOMACH THE GRIEF AND READ SOMEONE ELSE'S FIC. THIS IS NOT FOR YOU.  
  
Legolas: This can't be good. Aragorn: Do you think if we ran we could escape? Steffiecan: No. You will be in this fic, or you'll wind up boinking each other senseless in front of all your friends. While they laugh at you. Both: Ouch.  
  
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"Thanks for the ride back to college, Sam" Dionne said, relaxing in the passanger seat of the '93 Pontiac. Trees and lots of grassland whizzed by as they sped along the lonely highway. They were on their way back to college after Spring Break.  
"No problem. It was nice of you to come down to Philly instead of making me take the trip up to New York to get you, then drive all the way out to Nowhere, PA. Why couldn't the stupid college directors put the college near, say, something?" Sam asked, pushing her short dark curls behind her ear.  
"Because they're stupid. And anyway, this school is the cheapest one for you, isn't it?" Dionne asked. She tried getting something on the radio, but since they were in that vast stretch of land that always comes between somewhere and nowhere, there was nothing. She popped in a cd that was in the case near the player and waited for the music to start. Manson's somewhat scratchy voice came out of the player and she immediately turned it off. "God he's creepy. I don't know why you listen to him."  
"I listen because I like the music. And yes, this school is cheap, but I'll never understand why you didn't just go to NYC. It would've been cheaper for you. I have a Pink cd somewhere around here" Sam said, momentarily taking her eyes off the road to help look for the cd.  
"I got it, you just watch the road. I don't feel like getting into an accident out here. Verizon charges way too much for me to have to call 911 during the day" Dionne said, laughing. Soon both girls were singing along with the cd as they flew down the highway at 75 miles an hour.  
  
About an hour later, the girls were singing along with Mary J. Blige as they searched for a rest stop. As they rounded a sharp bend, they saw a deer in the road. Deer are large animals, and Sam new that hitting this animal would not only be sad, but probably the end of both of them if hit at their current speed. She honked the horn and swerved to avoid the animal. The deer suddenly leapt towards the car, causing Sam to swerve further, not realizing that the move would take her off the road. Both girls screamed as the car plunged into the trees that surrounded the road.  
  
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Gandalf was talking with Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli when one of Theoden's soldiers rode up to them.  
"We were following some orcs, when the ambushed us and waylaid one of our men. Should we go after them?"  
"How many were there?" Aragorn asked.  
"Not many, my lord. Ten, maybe fifteen at most. They went into the forest."  
Aragorn looked at the others as he thought what would be best to do. Theoden's men were still recuperating from the grueling battle of the night before. Then he said, "Legolas and I will go. It won't take long for us to hunt them down and kill them. We'll meet everyone at Orthanc when we're through." At this Gimli protested, but Aragorn assured him that the additional orc killing wouldn't count towards the game he and Legolas were playing, and that Legolas' horse would be slower with two people. Gimli grudgingly agreed not to go and then the two were off.  
  
When Aragorn and Legolas got to the edge of the forest, they dismounted and left their steeds to wander about on the grass. They entered the forest and began looking for signs of the little band of orcs.  
"How do you suppose the orcs escaped the battle? Or the trees brought by the Ents?" Legolas asked.  
"I don't know. They must have been lucky and passed through the trees diagonally and ended up on the plains. From there they must have sought refuge in the forest, intending to return to Orthanc and Saruman." Aragorn studied the ground intently for a few moments, then found what he was looking for. "Here. Twelve of the filthy beasts passed this way and headed deeper into the woods."  
The two men set off deeper into the woods, following the trail.  
  
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Sam woke up slowly, and with the knowledge that she hurt. She didn't hurt very badly, and seemed to be resting on a very uncomfortable pillow. Airbags. why am I laying on the airbag? Oh. the deer. she thought. She tried looking around without moving her head to much, and was struck by a small drop of blood on her arm. Without leaning up, she turned her head slowly to see if Dionne was alright. She appeared to still be breathing, her dark skin in stark contrast to the white airbag. Why am I noticing the contrast of colors? That's the stupidest thing to think of in this situation! "Dionne, are you ok?" she asked. She was immensely relieved when the other girl's eyes opened slowly and she nodded.  
"I think so. That sucked, though. A lot."  
"I know. I'm not insured for crazy animals, so I'm out a car until I can scrounge enough to get another. Unless the deer had insurance?"  
"Deer never have insurance. That way they can blame the motorist for everything and collect huge."  
"Just my luck. A deer with a taste for doe."  
"You suck at puns."  
"I know. Shall we try to get out of the car?"  
"Let's."  
Slowly the girls got out of the car. It was difficult since the car had crumpled slightly upon hitting a rather gnarled tree. The tree had splintered badly and looked like it might fall on the car at any moment. Dionne tried calling the police, but couldn't get a signal.  
"It figures. Verizon probably doesn't have service out here. Try yours."  
Sam tried, but got only static. "I'm on Verizon, too. No luck."  
"Maybe we should try to get back to the road. Maybe a cop or farmer or someone will drive by and we can get help."  
Sam nodded. "Ok. But first, we should get something we can defend ourselves with. I don't want to get stuck with some crazy person out here. Too much bad luck already" she said.  
Dionne reached into the back seat and pulled out a box cutter. "You know, I had really hoped to only use this for cutting packages from my mom. I hope it stays that way. You think we should grab the water, too? It might be awhile."  
"Yeah. Might as well grab all the food we have left. We can have a roadside picnic with the road kill" Sam said, grabbing the little bit of food they had.  
Dionne laughed and grabbed the two water bottles. "You have a weird sense of humor, girl."  
"But you love me for it."  
The girls started walking in the direction they thought the road was in, confident that they would be picnicking at the side of the road and waiting for assistance in no time.  
  
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Aragorn and Legolas stared at the sight before them. There were twelve orcs indeed, but not as they had expected. All of them had been brutally killed, and the remains lay scattered about the forest.  
"Did the trees do this?" Legolas asked. Even he was disgusted by what had happened to the orcs.  
"No. There would have been no sign of them. This is just. sickening" Aragorn said. He surveyed the carngage, trying to figure out what happened. He pointed a little ways off. "The attack started from there. At least, many of the heads are pointed in that direction. I don't think there was a large party, and I can't find more than four sets of footprints. Humans, all of them by the look. Elves walk lighter, and Dwarves heavier. They lead in that direction. I think they were running" Aragorn said, pointing past the carnage farther into the forest.  
"Should we go after them?" Legolas asked.  
Aragorn thought for a few moments, then nodded. "I think we should. Maybe we can get the ones that did this to join us. We need all the men we can get to help us in this war."  
The two men then had a job of crossing the little battlefield. Blood was everywhere, as were various orc-parts. Legolas stared in disbelief at two trees that stood in the direction they were going in. Strung through some low hanging branches were orc intestines, with a pair of arms dangling from either end. He wondered briefly if this was a good idea. Trusting Aragorn's assumption that these people had just really really hated orcs, he trodded silently after his friend, carefully keeping watch on either side.  
  
After following the trail for a little way, Aragorn suddenly stopped. He studied the ground intently as if puzzled by something.  
"What is it?" the elf asked.  
"One of them must have been injured, because two of the other sets of footprints are set deeper and the fourth disappears altogether. See, here two of them get on either side of the man and must have picked him up. They turn that way" he said, pointing.  
Legolas was liking this situation less and less. They were now looking for a wounded soldier and three maniacs. He didn't care if they were orcs or not, when in battle you didn't take the time to rip your opponent to shreds. The elf wasn't so sure he wanted these people to be in any war, indeed, he wanted them to stay lost in these woods forever. He was just about to tell Aragorn so when his friends trotted off to follow the trail. I'll tell him in a little while. Besides, what if I'm wrong?  
  
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Sam was the first to spot the little shack in the clearing. "Dionne! C'mere!"  
Dionne walked up next to her friend. "What is it?"  
"A house. Maybe they have a phone we can use, or some Tylenol. My head is starting to hurt." Sam said pressing her fingers to her temples.  
"I bet they have a bathroom, too. Let's go check it out" Dionne said. She started walking towards the little shack with Sam close behind her.  
  
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A/N: That's all for now. I'll continue the story in a little. I'm done writing for the moment. Comments would be appreciated. Feel free to ask questions as well. I'm waiting until the next chapter to bring the two little parties together. The warning will be needed for the next chapter. Be warned again.  
  
P.S - I suck at thinking up titles. This one will have to do since it's all I could think of at this particular moment.  
  
~Steffiechan 


	2. Madness in the Forest, ch2

It seems I have mind gnomes that are compelling me to write this story. I was going to wait a while before starting this chapter, but. I need to get this out of my head. Maybe that makes me sound crazy, but that's how I am. Once a story starts making a lot of noise in my head it needs to be let out. So here it is.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the LOTR characters or anything like that. Remember: Don't sue me or my kitty will starve to death. Don't starve my kitty!  
  
WARNING: THIS STORY IS ABOUT TO GET GRUESOME. GRAPHIC TORTURE WILL FOLLOW. PLEASE LEAVE IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18, OR ARE SQUEMISH. I DON'T WANT FLAMES BECAUSE OF THAT. I AM VERY SERIOUS. IF THIS IS NOT YOUR THING, OR YOU ARE UNDERAGE, LEAVE!  
  
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Sam and Dionne approached the shack taking in the surroundings. The clearing was bare - there wasn't even any weeds poking up through the hard packed soil. The trees surrounding the house were of the same gnarled, nearly black things that they had hit earlier. Sam approached the door and knocked once on the door before it merely swung open.  
"Looks abandoned. I guess there's no phone, but there's probably a bathroom" she said, walking inside.  
"I guess so. But who knows how long it's been abandoned? They might have an outhouse or something" Dionne said following her friend. She looked around and saw things that looked like they came from one of those dated shows, like the Renaissance Fair.  
"I didn't see anything that looked like an outhouse" Sam said, then pointed to a small, almost closet-size room. "That must be it" Sam said pointing to a small room. The door had two or three holes in it, two by the doorframe, as if someone had tried to install two locks on the door and given up after drilling the holes. The third was high up by the ceiling, and probably due to rot.  
Dionne walked into the small room and made a disgusted noise. "Most certainly abandoned for a long time. It's filthy in here, and there's only a bucket on the floor. I guess it'll have to do." Dionne closed the door while Sam continued looking around the house.  
In one corner, there was a pile of swords and a few axes. She picked up one of the axes and saw that it was still sharp. That bothered her a little. Didn't stuff like this grow dull over time? Then again, she was no expert. She walked outside a little way to see if she had indeed missed the outhouse. Seeing nothing but the barren landscape, she turned to go inside. Realizing that she still held the axe, she set it carefully by the door, then returned inside. There was a low couch, or what appeared to be a couch. She pressed it with her hand, then pulled back quickly expecting mice or bugs to come scurrying out. Nothing happened though. Dionne came out of the little room, still looking disgusted.  
"Man, I think I will transfer to NYC. This sucks" she said.  
"Dionne, I don't think this place is abandoned" Sam said, turning to the table. There were several dark, dried splatters of something that looked black. Dionne looked suddenly nervous.  
"What makes you say that?"  
"There's no bugs or anything in here. Don't you think that they would have moved in after awhile? Now that I think about it, there should be a lot more dust and dirt in here, but there's not."  
Dionne walked over to the table and looked down at it. "That still doesn't mean anything. It could just be well preserved."  
Sam ran her fingers over the table. It was lumpy like running your hand over a thick liquid that had dried on a smooth surface. "You're a bio- med major. What's this on the table?"  
"How am I supposed to know? I'm bio-med, not wizard" she said, bending over the table anyway. "It reminds me of when the lab isn't cleaned after the grad students make a mess dissecting cadavers for class."  
"Dionne, I think this might be a very bad place to be."  
  
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Legolas had let Aragorn take the lead. A few minutes ago, the animals in the trees above them had started moving around excitedly. The elf had tried to spot them, or the cause for their excitement, but had been able to see nothing due to the dense leaves. He still had reservations about finding the people ahead of them and was about to suggest that they return to their friends when Aragorn stopped in front of him. "What is it?" he asked.  
"The tracks suddenly stop here. It's strange." he said, kneeling to take a better look at the ground. The branches above them began shaking more than ever and Legolas peered into them, trying to discern any shape at all.  
Suddenly, there was something put over the elf's mouth, and strong arms were clamped around his midsection, pinning his arms to his sides. He struggled wildly, but was lifted off the ground. He looked up in time to see a large wood club heading straight for his skull. He tried to dodge, but he was held too tightly. The world went black a few seconds later.  
"They must be using the trees. Legolas?" Aragorn turned noticing that the rustling of the trees had stopped suddenly. He called for his friend, but could find no trace of him. He went back to where his friend had been standing and inspected the footprints there. There was an odd scuff 1 around the two footprints that had been made by Legolas standing in one place. He crouched there, thinking of what this could mean in terms of the disappearance. Then the connection came. They had been followed through the trees. Whatever or whoever it had been had taken Legolas. Aragorn searched the nearest branches, although he was sure that the unseen enemies were long gone. I guess the only thing to do for now is continue forward in hopes that I come across some clues.  
  
After walking for what seemed like an hour but was more likely a few minutes, Aragorn came across the strangest thing he had ever seen in his life, or close to it. He didn't quite know what to make of the reddish looking hunk of. something in front of him, and was unsure how to approach. With great caution, he approached the strange thing before him. He noticed the wheels and concluded that it must have been some sort of transportation, but how it moved he could not tell. There seemed to be no place to harness horses to. It also seemed as if this strange contraption had crashed into a tree after coming headlong down the hill. But there's no road that way. Where did this come from? he thought.  
Feeling sure that it was abandoned, he approached and looked at it in wonder. He ran his hand over the now disfigured hood and was surprised to find that it was made of metal. He walked to the open door and peered in. There were seats, and in the middle of the two front ones was what appeared to be a stick2 coming up between them. More puzzled than ever, he went to the backseat and picked up a map that he couldn't make heads or tails of. What is a Pennsylvania supposed to be? And what are all these lines across the map supposed to be? There aren't enough roads in the world for them to represent that he thought.  
Putting the map down, he went to the back where he found the trunk open. Looking inside he found five or six large travel bags. He looked for the buckles that held them closed only to find that there were none. Running his hands over them, he traced the zipper line and eventually came to the zipper head. He tugged on it a little and was surprised when the bag opened slightly as he did. He pulled it the rest of the way down and looked suspiciously at the contents. They were obviously clothes, but not like any he had ever seen. He picked up a shirt that was green with the word "Scram!" written on the back and a picture of a monster in what appeared to be a trash bin on the front and stared. What manner of garment was this? And why would someone adorn themselves with a monster? The pants were equally confusing. They wouldn't have reached the person's hips, and they were too baggy in the leg. Rummaging further, he came across something truly perplexing. He held it up by the straps and looked at it. This looks like a woman's. Blushing, Aragorn put the bra down as he realized what it's use must be. He walked away from the car wondering what sort of woman would wear those kinds of clothing.  
Then he saw them. Footprints. They weren't made by the people he had been following earlier. Indeed, these prints were just as strange as the clothes he had found. They have strange clothes, why would they not have strange footwear? he thought as he followed the footprints into the woods.  
  
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Dionne and Sam were about to leave the little hut when they saw people approaching in the distance. They were about to run out and ask them for help when they saw the bloody man they were carrying. Blood was thick in his red hair and it was unclear as to whether or not he was still alive. Quickly returning the door to it's previous barely closed state, the girls crammed themselves into what had served as the bathroom. Hoping that the holes in the door wouldn't give them away, they peered out as best they could.  
  
Two large men entered the room, carrying the unconscious man between them. They dropped him unceremoniously onto the dirty table. One of the men passed out of the girl's sightline, while the other took to chaining the man to the table. He pulled both arms above the man's head and ran a chain around his wrists and then around the leg of the table. Then, he spread his legs and chained each one to it's respective table leg. The other man came into view with what looked like a saw.  
"Oh my god, Dionne!" whispered Sam as she looked on in horror. Her friend, who was watching from the higher hole, reached down and put her hand over her friend's mouth. Then, she put her other hand over her own.  
To their short-lived relief, the saw was put down to the side of the table. The other large man went to the other side of the table and armed himself with a large, yet strangely well kept knife. The girls watched in horror as the man on the table was cut open from ribcage to belly button. The pain of it must have revived him, since his eyes flew open and he started to scream.  
In the bathroom, Dionne tightened her grip on both their mouths. Sam took deep, slow breaths to keep from puking all over her friend's hand and giving them both away.  
The men were far from done with their captive. The man that had brought the saw was now reaching inside the incision and then pulled out something red and bloody, causing the red headed man to scream even louder.  
Dionne leaned close to her friends ear, and with eerie calm said quietly, "His liver." Sam shuddered, but managed to remain silent.  
The man put the liver into a jar full of clear liquid. The liquid promptly turned red, and the man put a lid on it and set it aside. Then the knife-wielding man cut out the screaming man's tongue and tossed it on the ground, as if that would make his screaming cease. Now in addition to his screams, he made a sickening gurgle sound when he took in a breath to scream with.  
The screams seemed to make the knife man angry, and he contemptuously sliced the man horizontally across his midsection, opening it further. This brought on more screams and the man that had brought over the saw snatched the knife and cut the man's throat.  
In the bathroom, Sam and Dionne breathed silently in relief at the mercy of the move, and continued to watch, horrified.  
The man cast aside the knife and began to pull out the dead man's insides and lay them out on the table. The man that had been so angry at the screams picked up the saw and went to work on the man's extremities.  
Sam backed carefully away from the door, hand over her mouth to keep from heaving. Dionne turned away also. Sam shook her head and whispered, "we should keep watch. What if they try to come in?"  
Dionne nodded and watched through the hole for awhile.  
  
After some time had passed, Dionne could no longer stand to be near the hole in the door, and beckoned for Sam to take her place. Remembering the box cutter, she handed it to her friend. Then, horrified, they remembered setting down the water bottles and food in the other room. Sam hurried to the peephole and looked out.  
One of the men was working on sawing off the man's fingers, intent on his task. The other man was almost out of sight. He had the head of the dead man, and put it into a box and set it down. In the process, he knocked something over. Sam saw him pick up something that had to be the water bottle. He seemed perplexed by it, as if he had never seen such a thing. Putting it down, he discovered the food. Tearing open a package, he sniffed the contents. He eyed it suspiciously, then took a bite. Apparently finding twinkies delicious, he wolfed down the remainder of the snack. He then devoured the rest of the food, oblivious to the concept of sharing with his companion.  
After eating what little food they had had, the man cast about the room. Finding nothing, he looked under the bed. He walked over to the door and had actually pulled it a few inches of the way open when a voice outside the shed was heard. The door banged shut and the girls started breathing again. The man hurried outside, as did the other man.  
Dionne and Sam both watched as the two torturers returned with two other men. Between the four of them they were trying to carry another man into the hut. He was struggling wildly, blond hair swinging back and forth as each man grabbed a leg or arm. They threw him on the bed and two of his captors sat on him while the other two tied him to the bed, arms and legs apart. When that was done, they talked together in low, whispering voices. The girls were able to make out only that they were going to get someone else, and wanted the help of their friends to do it.  
After hitting the man that they had tied down a few times, they all stamped out of the house and disappeared into the forest.  
  
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Aragorn was thinking that it had been a bad idea for him to search for Legolas alone when he spotted the shack. Seeing four large men hurry out of it, he quickly covered what tracks he could and climbed the nearest tree. Keeping as still as he could, he watched the men pass below.  
They were like no men he had ever lay eyes on. They were closer to looking like men than orcs, but they looked as if they shared some of their traits. Big and muscular, they were also severely disfigured. Their faces were marred by deformities ranging from the worst hair lip in history to missing an eye or even a nose. They had little hair, and what they did have was whispy and thin. They lumbered along, heading in the direction of the path he and Legolas had been following when Legolas had disappeared. Now sure that Legolas was in the house, he waited for the men to travel out of hearing before he could make a move. To his vexation, they stopped while he could still see them clearly. They appeared to be arguing amongst themselves.  
After a little while, they moved on again. Aragorn waited until they were totally out of sight before getting out of the tree and heading for the house.  
  
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Legolas lay on the bed he was tied to. His head hurt. His muscles ached from straining and fighting for freedom. The gag in his mouth tasted of dirt and something slimy. He looked over and saw a table that still held the remains of the man. Legolas assumed that the bloody corpse was that of an animal, and that the men that had already been here had been getting the meat off.  
He struggled a little against his bonds, testing them. They were firm and didn't budge. He resolved to fight as soon as they untied him again and had lay down to rest himself for that time when a door across the room opened slowly.  
Out of the door stepped two of the more confusing beings he had ever seen. Obviously female, they were dressed in men's clothes. Except that no clothes he had ever seen looked like that. The paler one was wearing dark green pants. Baggy pants that hung low on her hips and exposed her stomach. Her shirt was orange with a blue furry thing drawn on it (Grover), and tight. No woman he knew would wear such a shirt. No woman he knew would even think of dressing like that in her worst nightmare. On her wrist was a sliver piece of jewelry and on her feet were white shoes (sneakers. Adidas baby!). Both girl's hair was short, and the pale girl's hair was curly like a hobbits. The darker girl was dressed in a longer, baggy shirt that was blue and white. Her pants were tan, but also baggy and long. Her shoes were also white (Michael Jordan made money off this girl).  
They tip toed out of the small room, and edged away from the table. The darker girl saw him and tapped the other on the shoulder and pointed. The pale girl looked at the other one, then walked over to him and started to untie him. Legolas could have cried with relief. He didn't care what they looked like, as long as they got that rag out of his mouth. Unable to get one of the ropes that bound his hands to the bed loose, the girl stopped momentarily. She placed a finger over her lips indicating silence, then undid the gag. Legolas smiled at the girl. After doing so, he noticed how terrified she looked. She and her partner kept looking at the door, and worked quickly and jerkily to get him loose.  
They had just gotten him free except for one of his legs when the door banged open. Both girls jumped away from him and started screaming. The elf looked towards the door and saw Aragorn standing in the doorway, baffled.  
"Aragorn!" the elf exclaimed. His friend rushed over and helped untie him. He stood up and stretched. It felt good to be free. He turned to the girls, who were still screaming.  
"It's alright, he's a friend of mine" he said, and approached them. They backed away at first before remembering that this was the guy that they had just untied. He stopped and tried again to sooth them. "He's going to help us get away."  
They nodded and came forward slowly. Aragorn did his best to look not- scary and put on his most charming smile. He noticed the girls looking at the table and saw them getting ready to scream again. Gently he said, "Why don't we get out of this house?" At that, the girls pushed past him and went out onto the porch.  
  
Sam handed the box cutter back to Dionne and just stood there, unsure of what to do. She wasn't even sure why she had returned the box cutter. The men that were now in the house seemed nicer and saner than the other men, but were dressed funny. As if they were back in the middle ages. She jumped as the two men came out of the hut and into the desolate clearing.  
She huddled close to Dionne, who was shaking just as badly as she was. "W-who are you?" Sam asked.  
The blond smiled at them. "My name is Legolas Greenleaf. Thank you for helping me." With that, he bowed.  
"And I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. May I ask who you are?"  
Sam's first attempt at speaking came out high pitched and shaky. She cleared her throat and tried again. "My name is Samantha Framway, but most people call me Sam." Unsure of what to do, she waved weakly.  
"I'm Dionne Argyle. Um. nice to meet you" the other girl said.  
Sam was now convinced that she was dreaming. Legolas and Aragorn? The only people that had those names were fictional characters in a book. Well, a movie too, but that was adapted from a book. She tried to pinch herself as hard as she could to see if it was a dream. While the pain was still fading, she realized that the place she was in now was not. This was either a very stubborn dream, or horribly real.  
"Where are we?" Dionne asked. She still made no move to go nearer the men, and eyed them suspiciously.  
"Somewhere in the forest near Orthanc. Once we get there, you two will be safe. Gandalf will know what to do" Legolas informed them.  
"Would you excuse us for a minute, please?" Dionne asked and pulled her friend aside. "What is going on here?"  
"As far as I can tell, Dee, we are either group hallucinating, or in a parallel universe."  
"Both are next to impossible."  
"I know. I already tried the pinch test, so it's not a dream. I think. However, if they expect me to traipse through this forest with those. those things out there, I'm taking something bigger than a box cutter. You should, too."  
"Can we trust them?"  
"Haven't you ever read the books? These guys are the good guys."  
"Whatever you say, oh English major."  
"Damn skippy. I'll go get us an axe each. Unless you know how to use a sword?"  
Dionne shook her head. When Sam turned to go, she said, "Better get something for that other guy, Leggy-something. They probably took whatever he had."  
"Legolas."  
"Whatever."  
  
Dionne walked back over to Aragorn and Legolas who were talking together. "What do we do now?" she asked.  
"Well, we head back to our party. Where is your friend going?" Aragorn asked.  
"She's getting us weapons. We don't have any, and I'm pretty sure your pretty buddy here doesn't have one either", Dionne said pointing to Legolas. Aragorn raised an eyebrow at the elf, who merely blushed.  
Sam came out of the house carrying an axe and a sword. The sword she handed to the still blushing elf and the axe to her friend. Dionne made a few practice swings, then held the axe at her side. Sam picked up the axe she had dropped by the door.  
"Do you think we should go back to the car? I mean, all our stuff is there" she said.  
"Is this 'car' that big red thing I found earlier?" Aragorn asked.  
"Yeah. We had an accident and were looking for help when we found this house. I wish we hadn't" Sam said with a shudder.  
"Was there another man with them? He might have been injured. We were trying to find him" Aragorn asked. By the sickened looks on the faces of the girls in front of him, he guessed that the news wasn't good.  
"Yeah. He was injured. But then they put him on that table." Sam choked and couldn't continue.  
"What's left of him is still there. Can we go?" Dionne asked.  
Legolas shuddered. He had only glimpsed the remains that had been on the table. He shuddered again when he remembered that he had likely been next. Far off, they heard the cries of the four men that inhabited the hut, and they were coming slowly closer.  
"It's getting dark, but we should get as far from here as we can for the night", Aragorn suggested. Going as fast as they could, they left the little clearing and headed in the direction Aragorn said Orthanc was in.  
  
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A/N: Ah. the mind gnomes are letting me free for tonight. Thank goodness, too. My hand is starting to cramp. Comments will be greatly appreciated. I'm not quite sure how I want this to go in the next chapter, so feedback is welcome.  
  
1 - I don't know what you would call it, but Aragorn is looking at the place where Legolas' feet messed up the ground when he struggled with his captors.  
  
2 - Not stick shift. It's merely that my car has the shifter in that place IRL, so that's where the shifter in Sam's car is. 


End file.
